Precision articles of manufacture, such as gas turbine buckets may be manufactured or repaired with processes which require the formation of holes in between an outer surface of the bucket and an internal channel or cavity. Finishing the manufacture or repair of such articles may require closing the holes. However, depending on the material from which the article is formed, and the conformation of the hole, closing such holes may be difficult or costly. Typically welding techniques may undesirably deposit material into the internal channel or cavity beneath the hole. Other options for closing the hole, such as inserting a pre-sintered preform plug, may be economically inefficient due to the high cost of the pre-sintered preform material and the precise machining of the plug necessary for proper joining.